TexasBrit

3 hours ago, jimbob22 said:

Just to clarify, your sailing did not have 3 or 4 dance shows in the main theater?  I'm just wondering if something was going on on NS (maybe one or two of the 6 dancers were sick?) b/c Rotterdam and K-dam seem to have been operating as normal.  

 

Bummer about the food, I guess Rotterdam got the good tenderloin and lambchops. I ate quite well on Rotterdam.

 

I do agree wrt to comedians.  Tbh, in the current era, I think they're under such tight reign that it's very hard for them to generate huge laughs.  The comedian on Rotterdam tried her best, but it was not an easy gig.  

There was one evening in the beautiful main theatre with the two pianists from the Billboard room, and there was a dance group that did routines to some of the songs. I don't think it can be described as a dance "show" though as the pianist/singers were the main performers. The other nights featured the comedian or the BBC Nature video on the big screens with music. Again, not a production show as such. IMO that space was wasted on this cruise, but I understand that the companies are having to cut expenses.

We are not big eaters of beef, so can't comment on that but I did try the lamb chops that sadly were quite tough and didn't taste like lamb! The meat in the hamburgers at the pool grill that we tried once was dry and bland; we both left half of them uneaten. .

We have seen many cruise-ship comedians and never stayed for their entire schtick. The adult only late night versions were even worse, so now we don't waste our time. I realize some people enjoy them.

9 hours ago, tawlaw1526 said:

I am incredibly sad to see all of this and hear how so many want to switch cruise lines but I totally agree it’s time.  I know the grass is not always greener on the other side but people just aren’t feeling this way about Celebrity and Holland.   

Sorry to read this report. We are booked on Ruby for Panama Canal in April, so now are concerned and thinking about cancelling.

I don't know about Celebrity these days, (they were very good a few years ago) but take a look at the HAL boards. Quite a few unhappy cruisers there. Long-timers complaining as you did about the drop in standards post COVID and new people disappointed after hearing so many good things and then deciding to try HAL for themselves. We are in the latter category, and our experience was similar to yours in many respects.

Of course Carnival Cruise Corp, which owns HAL and Princess, is in a dire financial situation so cutbacks are inevitable. Perhaps the glory days with reasonable costs and good value that we all got used to are over for the near future, and it is time to find alternative types of vacation travel.

We, in our mid to late 70s, were tempted by a "good deal" on NS in the S. Caribbean in December, and we had not been to those islands before so we booked it, out first HAL cruise.

It turned out to be the least enjoyable cruise we have ever been on. Very little to do during the day on sea days, and just the Music Walk in the evenings. Basically sitting and listening to the different genres one at a time. There were no production shows, they used the beautiful theatre for a comedian. We are not fans of the 3rd rate comedians that perform on cruise ships so didn't go, but heard mixed reviews. One of the other reasons we went was that we had always heard that HAL had excellent food and service, better than the other popular lines. However the food was mediocre in all the venues, with just a few exceptions, and the service was very substandard everywhere.

Several people we met who were previous HAL guests told us that things used to be much better.

The cabin was clean and in good condition, and the attendant did a very job of cleaning and service.

Reading some other reviews of this particular cruise and one or two others of different ships, it seems that our experience was not unique.

Very disappointing, and so for us no more HAL cruises.

3 hours ago, jimbob22 said:

currently on rotterdam, they do replenish the bols a few times, so it was not hard to get one.   I guess that the harder they are to get, the more incredible the passengers say they are.  

When I asked why certain items were either not available at all or ran out very early, I was told that they were not supplied with sufficient, or in the case of the berry pancakes any, of the ingredients to last all day the entire cruise! I heard that people eventually were lining even up before the GDC opened in order to be sure to get one of the bols.

We were on NS earlier in December and echo your comments about food and service.

Very disappointing for our first HAL cruise, probably our last as well.

On 12/29/2022 at 7:27 AM, jimbob22 said:

just our opinion, corroborated by a couple of random plates I saw that had hollowed out carcasses on them: the bossche bol at GDC is 'ok' but did not knock our socks off.  The chocolate layer is a dark, but not strongly flavored, chocolate frosting, then an average dough layer (hard to cut through, not really like eclair dough) and the cream was just whipped cream, not a custard.  So it was not bad by any means--but it had been built up like the holy grail.

 

We did find the apple pie in the GDC case to be excellent (would be even better warmed up, we didn't inquire about this).  And there was some marble cake in there that looked excellent, but we did not try it.  It would be nice if they had brown water (i.e. 'coffee') dispensers at GDC.  I did get the fruit pancake ( a rolled crepe with blueberry/raspberry type fruit in it).  It was good, but holy cow it was like a 30 minute wait...GDC seemed to be 'less noticed' on our k-dam cruise 5 years ago.

At least you got the fruit pancake! On our recent NS cruise they never had any and the bols ran out by 12!

We got welcome back offer, but after a not so good experience on NS for our first HAL cruise earlier in December, we won't be using it!

Poor food quality in most locations and very slow and inattentive service everywhere plus a dearth of activities during the day. No production shows, a shame as the main theatre is beautiful and well-designed. We have no interest in 3rd-rate crusie ship comedians who wer eput in the main theatre. No music during the day and all other music crammed together in the evenings in the Music Walk.

Overall this was the least enjoyable cruise we have been on over 30 years of cruising with severl other lines.

A disappointment as our expectations for food and service were high based on recommendations. Even some long-time HAL cruisers we met were not happy and said things had definitely deteriorated.

We are recently off NS, our first HAL cruise, and have to agree with several of the posts here about the Music Walk. It is not a concept that works for us.

We like music of all types but putting everything together in the same location is not ideal. Having the RS room and the BonB across from each other means they have to alternate sets. And the RS band was extremely loud, even from a distance. Can't imagine what it must have been closer to the stage. It could be heard in the casino one deck up with no problem.

There is no music elsewhere on the ship at this time so this results in very crowded rooms with difficulty in finding a seat/table when coming from dinner after 8 PM.

The BB King band was good with two good singers, although it was more jazz and pop rather than blues. The Billboard musicians were good pianists, but not so good vocalists, particularly the male. The classical music was only on early evening during the time we were at dinner, so we did not get to hear them.

There was some dancing, in the BB King room, but none of the Music Walk rooms really were suitable, and not many good dance tunes were played anyway.

Having been told by others that HAL was a superior line, this was overall a disappointment, compared to the many other lines we have been on, and together with the poor food quality and service in most of the dining options, as has been mentioned in a different thread, we will not be cruising with HAL again.

Based on our recent cruise on that ship, she will be bored.

There is very little to do during the day of interest to anyone, let alone a young adult. Just a few trivia games, some pickleball played mainly by a bunch of elderly people, and occasional dance lessons. No music during the day anywhere on the ship. In the evenings there is the Music Walk, which depends on tastes etc., and some shows with a 4th rate comedian. No production shows at all in the beautiful main theatre. There is no disco or pub where young people might like to go.

Also there were hardly any young adults on board, other than a few couples with very young children. I don't know many (any) young adults who like to spend their time on vacation painting (there is a charge for that) and coloring! Yoga is another activity that has a fee. Some people do organize their own table games like Mar-jongg and bridge, but again mainly elderly people.

On Vista Oct 15-22.

Still had propulsion issues which caused the total itinerary change because the ship couldn't go fast enough to get to Jamaica.

But some people thought it was a cost issue to save fuel? Only a real problem for the Cozumel stop where we had to leave at 3 pm to get back to Galveston on time. The Dream, which left Cozumel after us, overtook us the next day and got to Galveston about 2 hours ahead of us! 

No hot water for about 12 hours during one of the port stops. People had to cold shower after their excursions and before dinner.

Major issue for me was that they did not have the Red Frog ale. It was not delivered to the ship.

6 minutes ago, vwrestler171 said:

Not sure why you expected there to be a separate non-smoking casino.  Vista was never a ship that was listed as one with it, so you went into it with incorrect expectations.  I was on the Vista Oct 8-15 and during the RFP tour, he was saying he was having issues getting deliveries of what he needed to brew certain beers, I would assume that is one that you were wanting.  

Yup, I know that, but it is still disappointing. If they can find room on smaller ships for a second casino, it should be possible on Vista.

I was told by the brewmaster that the Thirsty Frog Red ale is brewed on land not on the ship, and their supply was not delivered. They were hoping it would be available  for this week's; cruise. But since I was told clear lies about not being able to serve it until in international waters, who knows what the truth really is. I suspect that the costs have increased and they didn't want to pay for it.

The itinerary was changed from Jamaica and Grand Cayman to Roatan and Belize, plus naturally, Cozumel.

Reason given was engine problem preventing the ship going at the required speed to reach Jamaica in time.

As a result, the ship had to leave Cozumel at 3 PM, which didn't give much time for excursions etc.

Some passengers felt that the real reason was to save money on fuel costs by not going fast.

Disappointed that there was no Red Frog ale on the ship. Initially the bartenders were saying it could not be served until in international waters, which is total BS, as I have always had a couple of pints of it upon embarkation at Galveston. It was only the following day when the real reason was revealed.

Mostly the cruise was OK. Bar service was slow and not as friendly as on previous cruises. It looked like there were fewer bartenders on duty.

MDR service was good and attentive, although a couple of the entrees were inedible for me.

Breakfast and sea brunch service was very slow. Took a long time to get the orders taken and even longer form the food to arrive.

One morning they did not have any hot water available for tea, and we had to wait until they boiled some! Incredible really for a breakfast seating!

Buffet, pizza, deck 5 barbecue on sea days were good as was Guy's burgers as usual.

The casino was very busy and full of smokers. Disappointed that there was no separate non-smoking casino as there was on Breeze and Dream.

As a result we spent very little time in there.

Entertainment was only average, the best being a country music duo from South Africa.

The cabin was typical, clean and comfortable and well maintained by the attendant, who we seldom saw.

Overall I have to agree that Carnival has gone downhill compared to previous cruises a few years ago.

We have cruises booked on HAL (our first time) and later Princess, so it will be interesting to do the comparisons.

1 hour ago, nybumpkin said:

Agree that the water is an issue. When I brew tea at home, I bring the teakettle to a boil and then pour the water over the tea bag or a tea ball if I'm using loose leaves. But I don't think that would have helped Art of Tea for me. I just didn't like the varieties I tried.

Yes exactly! But if you did that with Earl Grey or English Breakfast you can get a decent cup of tea! Don't know about the other varieties, I never bother with them.

On 9/6/2022 at 5:49 PM, nybumpkin said:

Tea time was every sea day at 3 pm on Magic last month. We love tea time, but I think in the future I'll bring my own tea bags. I'm not a fan of Art of Tea - I tried both Earl Grey and English Breakfast, and they were too weak. The other alternative is plain Lipton. Aside from that, though, we loved it.

 

The problem is not the type of tea or the tea bags. It is the water. It is not hot enough at the table to make a good cup of tea.

Used to be the best steakhouse at sea and we went to it on previous cruises.

But on our last Breeze cruise Mrs. T's steak was inedible.

She bravely tried to eat it but gave up. When we pointed it out to the waiter he said you should have sent it back but now it was too late. No compensation or refund  was offered.

Needless to say we did not try it on our follow-up cruise on the Dream.

But if you have never been before, give it a try. If it is good, it is very good.

18 hours ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

are these offers emailed to you or are they in with your VIFP offers.

 

Needless to say my wife and i never get any kind of good offers. As I said before we do get RU9 which is a ripoff. lol

We never get them either, but a friend who only started cruising on Carnival in 2019 gets them all the time and has now been on several free cruises with OBC and other inducements in the last 6 months.

Our daughter who has only sailed on Carnival twice in 20 years gets offers of free cruises!

Accordingly, we have decided to avoid Carnival for a while and will go on other lines for similar prices. Maybe that might generate some better offers.

Vista is much better ship than Dream.We were on Dream lat week and were a little disappointed at the absence of some places like Red Frog Pub and Cucina del Capitano.

Although Dream is going in for refurbishing and updates later this month so maybe it will be better after that.

It certainly needed work. The bathroom light, the fridge and the safe did not work when we checked into our cabin. Technicians came and fixed the light and safe and they  promised to replace the fridge but they never did. And on one port day all of the public restrooms were closed!

9 hours ago, CookieShip said:

I was first time gold in my last sailing, there is a bug so they don't see it in the bar system so I got charged for the drink. Guest services fixed it easily.

That is good for you.

But as I mentioned, I asked Guest Services and the lady actually confirmed the change and told me I should have got my free drink at the Sea Day brunch earlier in the day so it was now too late, sorry!

9 hours ago, BasicSailor said:

Next time just go to a different bar. Sometimes the staff missed that training session. It's been a problem all up and down the loyalty program for a while now.

It was the casino bar where I was initially denied, and since guest services confirmed it, it seemed pointless to go to a different bar and ask again. But maybe that would have been the best approach.

9 minutes ago, TNcruising02 said:

 

Carnival Ship Pin

To collect your Carnival ship pin, please visit the Photo Gallery with your Sail & Sign.  We encourage you to claim your gift no later than two days prior to the end of your cruise.

But on this cruise they didn't have any to give out!! Lots of very annoyed people!

1 hour ago, kicia said:

It hasn't changed and the person was wrong.   If it happens again, I would go to Guest Services. 

I did ask guest services and they confirmed the change!

12 minutes ago, day-day said:

 

I never saw an "I am on my way" button when I reserved a table last month.  I would get an alert or, more often, check the status until a got the message that stated my table was ready and would be held for 10 minutes.

Last week there was always the "on my way" button to click everytime the notification that the table is ready appeared on the app.

6 minutes ago, kicia said:

Gold is still the last night after 5. Diamond and Platinum  must be used at brunch. 

As I just said, this was NOT the case on the Dream last week and I was wondering when and why it had changed as I didn't see any announcement of it.

And the bar staff would not give me a free drink after 5pm on the last night.

The HUB app does not have the ability to choose a specific time when you check-in.

But mostly at dinner the table is ready within 15 minutes of check-in, you get notification on the app that  your table is ready with its number, you touch the "I am on my way"  button and you have 10 minutes to get to the dining room.

However for Sea Day Brunch it took about 30 minutes for the table to be ready so there were lots of people crowded around the entrance waiting for their table to be ready.

Went for free drink on Dream last week on the last night after 5 pm. Was told it had changed to a free drink at the Sea Day Brunch which was earlier in the day! 🥵

When did this change?

Just looked at the Carnival Perks page and it still has the original offer.

Also went to get the GOLD VIFP pin, but they didn't have any. They were instead giving out a calendar that had photos of all the Carnival ships on it. 😜

crimp small alligator clips onto a suitable length of cord and clip them on the ear loops and wear as a lanyard.